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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. root — of a word
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wind — moving air
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. squash — the sport
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fall — the season
  16. bound — certain
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. root — the cause
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wind — moving air
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com